Recently, the BISSELL Pet Foundation awarded an emergency grant to the Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) to fund the rescue of animals from a puppy mill in Kankakee County, IL.  Tuesday, April 7th, the BISSELL Pet Foundation team was on hand to assist the Animal Rescue Corps with the raid.

81 dogs and 2 cats were found living in neglectful conditions at a breeding facility at a home in Kankakee County, IL, about an hour south of Chicago. Adult dogs and newborn litters of puppies of a variety of small breeds, including Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, Yorkshire Terriers, and Poodles were found crowded into small pens with plastic wire flooring, exposed to extremely high levels of ammonia.  The dogs were suffering from untreated and painful eye infections, respiratory conditions, and dental issues.

“The conditions were typical of a puppy mill, where animals live in inhumane conditions and are treated as nothing more than breeding machines.” said ARC President Scotlund Haisley. “Dogs have been suffering here for a long time but they are finally reclaiming their lives.”

This case began when ARC received a tip concerning the alleged neglect of the dogs from The Puppy Mill Project. ARC has been working with Kankakee County Animal Control, the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office, and The Puppy Mill Project to obtain documentation, which revealed violations of county and state animal cruelty codes, in order to secure a search warrant.

“Closing down an operation of this scale takes an enormous amount of resources,” said Julie Boudreau, Administrative Director of the Kankakee County Animal Control and Adoption Center. “By working with Animal Rescue Corps, who provided most of those resources, we did just that – we closed this notorious puppy mill down for good.”

ARC safely removed the animals from the property and transported them to an emergency shelter set up by ARC for this rescue, dubbed Operation Spring Break. Each animal will receive a thorough veterinary exam, appropriate vaccinations, and any necessary medical treatment. ARC will provide daily care until the dogs are placed with approved shelter and rescue organizations around the country that will ultimately adopt them into loving homes.

The BISSELL Pet Foundation is proud to have participated in the raid with amazing organizations including: the Animal Rescue Corps, Kankakee County Animal Control and Adoption Center, the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office, and The Puppy Mill Project, PAWS Chicago, and Veterinary Professionals Against Puppy Mills.

Check out this amazing video from Operation Spring Break:

Read more from the press:

Chicago Now: Adrian’s Puppy Paradise: Closing a puppy mill 4/19/15
WGN: 80 mistreated dogs rescued from puppy mill near Kankakee 4/7/15
Daily Journal: Alleged puppy mill in St. Anne raided, 80 dogs taken from owner 4/7/15
Examiner.com: 80 dogs rescued from dank Kankakee basement puppy mill operation 4/7/15
ChicagoNow: 80 dogs rescued from Kankakee County puppy mill 4/7/15